Chapter 3 - The Mercer Estate
The ride to the Mercer estate was a blur of painkillers, sterile bandages, and the gentle rocking of the specialized medical transport van.
When I finally opened my eyes, I was not in a cold, lonely hospital room, nor in the drafty, oppressive Hale mansion.
I was in my childhood bedroom.
The walls were painted a soft, warm cream. The massive bay windows overlooked the sprawling, manicured gardens of the Mercer estate, bathed in the golden light of the late afternoon sun.
I was resting on a mattress so soft it felt like floating on a cloud. A specialized medical IV dripped clear, healing fluids into my veins.
Next to my bed, in a beautiful antique wooden crib that had once been mine, slept Lily. She was wearing a tiny silk onesie, her breathing deep and even.
“You’re awake.”
I turned my head. My older brother, Julian, was sitting in a velvet armchair in the corner. He looked exactly like our father—tall, imposing, with sharp, calculating eyes—but right now, those eyes were red-rimmed and filled with guilt.
“Julian,” I croaked. My throat was dry.
He was beside the bed in an instant, holding a glass of water with a straw to my lips.
“Drink slowly, Em,” he whispered, stroking my hair. “You’ve been asleep for two days. Dr. Evans had to redo all your stitches. You had a severe infection from that... that house.”
I drank the water, feeling life slowly return to my exhausted body.
“Where’s Dad?” I asked.
“In the boardroom,” Julian said, his jaw tightening. “Systematically destroying everything Daniel Hale has ever built or touched. It’s taking a bit of time, only because Dad wants to make sure Daniel feels every single cut.”
I closed my eyes, a wave of complicated emotions washing over me.
Three years ago, I had run away from this life. I was suffocated by the bodyguards, the arranged marriage prospects, and the constant fear that people only liked me because of my last name.
I wanted to find someone who would love Emma, just Emma.
When I met Daniel at a local coffee shop where I was working undercover as a barista, he seemed so charming. He defended me from a rude customer. He bought me flowers. He proposed under the stars.
I thought I had found my fairy tale. I was completely blind to the subtle ways he began isolating me, controlling me, and belittling me once the ring was on my finger.
I thought enduring Vivian's cruelty was the price I had to pay for a normal family.
“I was so stupid, Julian,” I whispered, tears finally slipping down my cheeks.
Julian leaned down and kissed my forehead. “No. You were kind, and you believed in the best of people. They were the monsters who took advantage of your kindness. But you’re a Mercer, Emma. We don’t stay victims.”
He walked over to the crib and gently picked up Lily. The baby opened her big, dark eyes, looking up at her uncle.
Julian brought her over and placed her carefully in my arms.
“Look at her,” Julian smiled fiercely. “She’s perfect. And she is going to grow up knowing she is the princess of the Mercer empire. No one will ever hand her a bucket of dirty water. I swear it on my life.”
Holding my daughter, feeling the soft warmth of her skin against mine, the last remnants of 'Emma Reed' withered away.
Emma Reed was a weak, submissive girl who cried while her husband ignored her pain.
Emma Mercer was a mother, a survivor, and an heiress.
“Tell Dad to leave something left of Daniel's company,” I said quietly, my voice steady and cold.
May you like
Julian raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Why? You want to show mercy?”
“No,” I replied, looking down at my beautiful daughter. “Because I want to be the one who finishes him.”
